Hanwha wins military multipurpose unmanned vehicle contract, mass production deal expected in August

Hanwha Aerospace said Wednesday that DAPA notified it Tuesday of its selection as the contractor for the military's multipurpose unmanned ground vehicle project.

Earlier, DAPA convened a meeting of its defense project planning and management subcommittee, where it reviewed and approved Hanwha Aerospace's Arion-SMET as the designated model for the program.

Hanwha Aerospace said it demonstrated superior technological capabilities across a range of evaluation criteria under DAPA's standards and procedures.

The company is carrying out all major unmanned and robotic systems programs under the military's "Army Tiger 4.0" initiative — including the multipurpose unmanned ground vehicle project, an unmanned reconnaissance vehicle program, an explosive ordnance detection and disposal robot project, and a manned-unmanned combined chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear reconnaissance vehicle development and fielding program.

Hanwha Aerospace plans to sign a mass production contract with DAPA for the Arion-SMET as early as August. "We will minimize any capability gap by moving quickly to begin mass production," a company official said.